JIM LEHRER: That was a good speech, wasn't it, David?Karzai Slams the West Again
DAVID BROOKS: Yes, it was just really tremendously good.
And -- and -- but the idea that you can talk Karzai into being what we hope him to be is just not going to happen. So, we better have some work-arounds.
JIM LEHRER: Work-arounds?
MARK SHIELDS: Well, yes. I mean, the -- it was interesting that the president was there unexpected, unannounced, so that Karzai could not get the -- the political pluses of having ceremonial photo opportunities or anything.
He was in and out. He gave him the -- he gave him the stern Dutch uncle lecture. And that was -- that was the purpose of the visit, other than the troops, as David pointed out.
And, you know, we're seeing, with General Jones on the show last night with you, and from other reports, without a functioning, honest, responsive government on the ground, all the military efforts in the world, on the part of the Afghans, all the military efforts in the world and sacrifice by Americans mean nothing, if there is nothing there to take its place.
MARGARET WARNER: You had an interview Friday night with Al-Arabiya, Arabic satellite television, where you made a point of saying there are no U.S. troops here in Yemen. Why? Why was that important to say?U.S. Linked to Airstrike on Terror Target in Yemen
ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): This is normal, because there are no U.S. troops on Yemeni territories, neither offshore or onshore. There are some elements who are going -- making training for Yemeni personnel.
I wanted to confirm to the world, to the Yemeni people that there was no U.S. troops. At the same time, we have no agreement, we have no treaty with the U.S. on the presence of U.S. troops in Yemen.
MARGARET WARNER: What would be the consequence if the Yemeni people thought there were U.S. troops either here or on the way?
ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): Actually, there's no reason that U.S. troops be in Yemen. And we don't have any intentions here in Yemen -- and we believe the same with the U.S. They don't have any intention to have their troops here in Yemen, because there is no justification for their presence here in Yemen.
MARGARET WARNER: Now, some of these military strikes that you have been able to target at al-Qaida hideouts, militant figures, have those been all Yemeni airstrikes, or have there also been American airstrikes?
ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): There is a cooperation in the field of information exchange. These strikes are almost -- most of them are Yemeni.
MARGARET WARNER: So, most of the airstrikes, but not all of them, have been done by Yemeni forces?
ALI ABDULLAH SALEH (through translator): I would say, most of the strikes are Yemeni, because all what I'm aware of is the Yemeni strikes that we launched.
MARGARET WARNER: Well, Jeff, I have been able to confirm, really at the highest levels of the U.S. and Yemeni governments, that one particular airstrike in December in Abyan Province in southern Yemen in which civilians were killed was, in fact, the work of the U.S.Marjeh One Month On
Now, the Yemen government has said consistently the opposite... The U.S. administration, at the same time, of course, doesn't want it to be known that U.S. planes were used or U.S. assets were used in raids like this. But it is -- I think it's -- I know for a fact that it is the case.
JEFFREY BROWN: This is clearly a very sensitive subject there in Yemen and here in Washington, as you say. Tell -- why? What are the stakes? What's going on?
MARGARET WARNER: Well, Jeff, in my reporting in Yemen, what became clear is that the bargain the U.S. has made with the Yemenis to fight al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the sort of new offshoot, or newly revived offshoot of al-Qaida, the bargain is, the Yemenis need the U.S. help, but it can't have a U.S. face.
[Al Qaeda and the violent extremists have] got no respect for human life. You see dignity in every human being. That's part of what we value as Americans.We like to show how much we value human life by blowing people up drone attacks and shooting them up at checkpoints. We're sure you afghans appreciate all this love and respect and dignity. No need to thank us!
Military officials in Afghanistan hope a large and loud victory in Marja will convince the American public that they deserve more time to demonstrate that extra troops and new tactics can yield better results on the battlefield. Although Obama has set a date to begin a pullout, he has not said how quickly the troops will leave. Success in southern Afghanistan would almost certainly mean a slower drawdown.-Analysis of the WaPo report by Gareth Porter
When American forces all arrive, they will encounter challenges larger than any other in Afghanistan. Taliban suicide bombings and assassinations have left this city virtually paralyzed by fear. The insurgents boldly walk the streets, visit shops and even press people into keeping guns and other supplies in their houses for them in preparation for urban warfare, residents say.What's Obama's Af-Pak goal? -- "long-term stability means making India happier than Pakistan, because the latter needs a disconnected Afghanistan to feel secure, while the former needs the exact opposite"
The government, corrupt and ineffective, lacks almost any popular support. Anyone connected to the government lives in fear of assassination. Its few officials sit barricaded behind high blast walls. Services are scant. Security, people say, is at its worst since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.
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